I'm back, and I'm making gougères!

Right. I will appologize once more for having been lazy and kept quiet for, hum..., almost a year *cough cough*.

However, this last year gave me the time to think about what I wanted Mademoiselle Framboise to be about, and this will be Making more than Coming Across. I might still mention the occasional bit of wonderfulness that has caught my eye, but it will be mainly about what I cooked, baked, prepared, sewed or made.

But enough of the blabbering. This Sunday, I made gougères.

Gougères are French savoury choux pastry flavoured with grated Gruyère. Apparently, they originate from the Burgundy area, where they are traditionally served when tasting wine in cellars. I am making mine as "apéritifs", little nibbles to have with a glass of Champagne before moving on to the proper meal. I am making loads and will freeze them, so I always have delicious home-made nibbles to offer to last minute guests.

With the quantities I have used, I made about 50 gougères of around 4 cm diameter each. You will need:

• 165g ordinary flour
• 105g unsalted butter
• 1/3l water
• 5 big eggs
• 200g grated Gruyère
• salt and pepper

Heat the water in the saucepan with the butter and some pepper. When starting to boil, remove from the heat and throw the flour in. Mix well and put back on a low heat. Keep turning so the mixture dries up and forms a ball in the saucepan. (I use a wooden spoon for mixing and stirring, I think that is what works best.). 

Remove from the heat again and add the eggs one by one, mixing carefully and making sure the eggs don't cook. Finally add in the cheese, readjust seasoning if required, and let cool down for a bit.

While waiting, line your baking trays with buttered baking paper. After about 10 minutes, place little balls of the preparation on the trays. I use a table spoon and a tea spoon to do that, but it will probably be neater using a piping bag. Make sure the balls are a few centimeters away from one another as the choux will rise when cooking.

Bake for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven (thermostat 6 to 7), and remove them once fluffy and golden. Let them cool down on the side before serving. 

Happy cooking!